The present invention relates generally to fiber optic network devices, and more particularly to port mapping in fiber optic network devices to facilitate consistent, sequential optical connector terminations at a fiber distribution terminal.
Optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of broadband applications including voice, video and data transmissions. As a result of the ever-increasing demand for broadband communications, telecommunication and cable media service providers and/or operators are expanding their fiber optic networks to increase their networks' capacity and reach to provide more services, applications and information to more proximate and distant subscribers. To facilitate this capacity and reach, the fiber optic networks must employ additional fiber optic cable, hardware and components resulting in increased installation time, cost and maintenance. This results in the fiber optic networks becoming more complex, requiring architectures that allow for the most efficient delivery of fiber optic service to the subscriber. These architectures typically employ fiber optic network devices, such as optical connection terminals, for example, in branches of the fiber optic network. The fiber optic network devices act to optically interconnect the fiber optic cables of the branch, separate or combine optical fibers in multi-fiber cables, and/or split or couple optical signals, as may be necessary.
For example, a multi-fiber feeder cable from a central office or a transport cable from a head end, may connect to multiple multi-fiber distribution cables. Each distribution cable then may extend to a designated geographic area, thereby providing the optical service to subscribers in that area. A fiber optic drop cable from the subscriber premises may connect to the distribution cable to establish optical connectivity between the service provider and the subscriber in a fiber to the premises (FTTP) optical network. However, extending the drop cable from the subscriber premises all the way to the distribution cable may require a substantial length of drop cable resulting in extensive cost and installation time. Moreover, the cost and installation time would be increased and compounded if a separate connection to the distribution cable was needed for each drop cable. To reduce the attendant cost and timing, while still maintaining optical connectivity between the distribution cable and the drop cable, and, thereby, between the service provider and the subscriber, one or more intermediate optical connection points, between the distribution cable and the drop cable may be incorporated.